Crispy Fried Beet Chips

By
Molly Watson
Molly Watson
An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients.
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Updated on 02/28/22
Beet chips

Molly Watson

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Thinly cut beets are sweet, earthy, and crisp when fried like potato chips. Serve them the same day they are made, sprinkled with coarse sea salt or fleur de sel. You can add cayenne to the mix for a sweet and spicy snack if that's the kind of thing that will be popular in your house.

Note that red, pink, or golden beets can all be used just as easily, and prettily, as more common red beets. Striped beets are particularly lovely as chips, since they keep their distinctive stripes, looking almost like cartoon versions of potato chips. 

Ingredients

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large, wide pot heat the oil to 375 F (oil should be about 1-inch deep). Measure the temperature with a candy thermometer, or guesstimate it by dipping in the handle of a wooden spoon: the oil should bubble up around the handle immediately. If it doesn't bubble up right away, it's still too cold; if it bubbles up violently, however, or splatter, it's too hot.

  3. While the oil heats, scrub the beets clean, peel the beets, and slice them as thinly and evenly as possible. A kitchen mandoline is useful here, but not necessary. A sharp knife and steady hand will do the trick just fine.

  4. Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet near the stove—this is where you'll drain the beet chips after cooking.

  5. Slip about a third of the beet slices into the oil, being careful not to crowd the pot. (You only want a single layer of beets across the top of the oil. They should sizzle briskly when first put in the oil (if they don't, the oil isn't hot enough—remove the beets and bring the oil up to 375 F), the sizzling will slow down as they cook.)

  6. Fry the beet slices until the sizzling slows and the beets are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes depending on how thickly they're cut.

  7. With a slotted spoon or tongs remove the beets and drain them on the cooling rack. The chips will crisp up as they cool. Repeat with the remaining beet slices.

  8. Sprinkle the chips with salt, if you like. Serve at room temperature once they've become crisp.

  9. Enjoy!

Recipe Tip

  • The beets won't crisp up until they cool off, so if you go to test one, you're looking to make sure it's cooked through and basically tender to the bite, not crisp.
  • Beet chips, like most fried things, are by far the best when eaten on the same day as they are made. That said, you can store beet chips in an airtight container (a cookie tin works beautifully) for a few days. Actual time will depend on the humidity in your area—more humidity means less crispy chips.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
230 Calories
24g Fat
3g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 230
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 31%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 26mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 1mg 6%
Calcium 5mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 102mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)